


The Last Time

by Snurtlicious



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst, Established Relationship, M/M, Ukai's POV, basically they can't keep their shit together, but also fluff, i live for angst with a happy ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-12
Updated: 2015-01-12
Packaged: 2018-03-07 05:37:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3163235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snurtlicious/pseuds/Snurtlicious
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ukai and Takeda break up a lot, but they always manage to make up afterwards... right?</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Last Time

It tended to happen whenever we got too comfortable, whenever things became routine, one of us would run. The first time it was me, I was too insecure, too nervous about how much he hung around. People talk and, in a small town like this, whispers turn to screams pretty damn quick. And the screams did come, but from him, they turned into tears that became an ocean between us.

After that, things changed. Practices became an awkward chore between the two of us, who spoke casually in spite of our anger. The yellow court stood between the two of us, in an effort to distance ourselves from the other. We made up after a week. The kids had all gone home and the two of us were left. It started off with a quiet conversation and then we were yelling and there went my lips into his and just like that, we were together again.

The second time, it was him. His hands trembled when he told me, after another teacher had seen us holding hands outside the gym. He was in too much danger, he could lose his job, ruin his reputation. I tried to be understanding, tried not to blow the whole situation out of proportion, but it felt like my heart had broken in the blink of an eye. He turned and began to walk away, but the sobs were tearing through him and he slid down to his knees.

I wish I had stayed to help him in that moment. We didn’t reconcile until a month later this time. The team suffered for it. The awkward tension that the two of us created was nearly palpable to the team and they lost a few practice matches against teams they normally would’ve owned. He called me one night after a loss, drunk off his ass. He said he missed me, that he wanted me to come back, that he regretted it ever since he said it but was too afraid that I’d hate him to come back.

I waited until the next morning and went over to his apartment. It was a shabby little bachelor pad, suitable for him. He opened the door in a shirt and boxers, barely awake and without his glasses on. When he realized it was me, he shrieked and tried to fix his hair and hide his undies. I just stood there and stared, waiting for him to make good on his promises from the previous night. His face reddened and then he started to cry and his arms were around me and we were in his bed, fucking like teenagers.

Things stayed like that for a long time. We were on and off more than a light switch. Sometimes it was me, pressured by mother to find a bride, too worried what he’d think if I went on a date with a girl. Other times it was him, too nervous about his job safety to keep things up.

It was winter vacation and we’d planned to go out of town together, somewhere we wouldn’t have to keep up appearances. It was just a small hotel in the next town over, but we’d be able to spend the whole break together and do whatever we wanted to do. Mom told me I should just take the company van, but we needed something a little more discrete, so I rented a car for us.

Bags were packed and we hit the road, kissing over the center console before we left. The drive was scenic and long, giving us plenty of alone time to just talk. It was mostly about volleyball and school and how the spring tournament would be soon and we needed to continue whipping the team into shape.

He agreed and said he’d been working on scheduling a bunch of practice matches for us. His hand slid into mine and we sat like that for the rest of the drive in an easy silence. The first thing we did when we got to our hotel was climb into bed and go at it, not worried about what we sounded like for the first time.

Later, we went to dinner. Partway through the meal, he stopped eating, sat his fork down, and turned bright red. I immediately thought he was choking. I was at his side, holding hand, asking him if he was alright. He just nodded and then looked at me, face flush, eyes bright, and said,

“I love you.”

My heart stopped. I was the one to cry this time as I gripped his hand tightly and whispered back,

“I love you too.”

We didn’t leave the hotel again for the rest of the vacation. We spent the time in bed or talking or just enjoying the company of the other without worry of someone bursting in and seeing us.

But we had been seen.

After the vacation ended, the third year, Sugawara, came to me. He looked red and nervous, kept his hands in fists at his side.

“Coach, I want to ask you something,” he didn’t look up. “I… I’m in love with my best friend, but I can’t tell him and I wanted to know how you told sensei.”

My blood ran cold. Did he know? How did he know? Did other people know? A million questions ran through my mind. I just lied and told him that I just worked up the nerve and did it. In reality, things just sort of happened and one night we went from drinking on the couch, to a rough kiss, to the bed, and we ended up here.

I waited calmly until practice ended, pulled him aside once the kids were gone. “Sugawara knows.”

We broke up immediately, completely having forgotten the week we spent together and the “I love you’s”. I kept my eye on Suga after that. For about a week, he sputtered behind Daichi, trying to act normal, but anyone could see that he was head over heels for his friend. After that, the two of them came to practice, and the change was obvious.

They grinned at each other constantly, not worried about the looks that people gave them when Daichi’s hand would come down and tap Suga on the ass. The two just laughed at each other. Asahi was always tomato-red around the two of them, poor guy. When I saw Takeda rush in with the new practice game report, I couldn’t help but wonder what would’ve happened if we’d met in high school.

I could’ve followed him off to college and we could’ve moved to the city instead, dated for a few years, decided to stay together forever. I left the room for a minute, catching his eye as I went. I slipped into the bathroom to splash some water on my face and try to calm down. The aching in my chest was tearing me to pieces, and I wondered what would be enough?

When would be the last time we said goodbye? We said the three words that were supposed to end this cat and mouse game. So why didn’t it? I was ready to give him my everything, but I’d already done what I could.

He walked into the bathroom a few moments later. I tried to brush by him, not wanting to do this here, but he grabbed my arm.

“Wait a second, I want to talk to you.” He sounded so confident, with his nerdy glasses. How I ever fell for such a geeky guy, I’ll never know.

“Why even bother? So we can make up for a few weeks and then call it quits every time something goes bad?” I glanced back, venom in my voice. “I can’t do this anymore.”

I ran out of the bathroom, leaving him behind. It was all I could do to stop myself from breaking down. I locked myself in the equipment closet for a good twenty minutes after that, trying to get it back together before the kids arrived for practice. We didn’t speak for the rest of that day.

Once the store closed, I went out for a walk. I didn’t pay attention to where I was headed. I knew this town like the back of my hand and I’d be able to get back home from anywhere. I didn’t know if it was a coincidence or subconscious, but I found myself at his door again. My heart ached in my chest. I could imagine him sitting in there, all alone. Waiting for me to come back to him again since he’d already tried to get me to come back.

I swallowed hard and tapped my hand quickly on the door. Just like all those times before, he opened it. Sometimes he was drunk, this time he was sober. I couldn’t help but break eye contact immediately.

“This is the last time, Ittetsu.” My throat felt blistered and scratchy as the words came out.

“Wait, Keishin, I…” I grabbed him and forced my mouth onto his, shutting him up.

I tried to stop the tears but, damn it, they kept on coming. “I mean it, if you leave me again, we’re done.” He pulled me into the room, my entire body shuddering from the sobs. “I just fucking love you and we keep doing this to each other and I can’t take it anymore.”

He wrapped his arms around me, trying to pull me against his smaller body. He held me there for a long time, until my sobs quieted and I felt like sitting back up.

“I’m sorry.” Ittetsu whispered. He stood and walked across the room to pull something out of his bag. I watched as he padded back over held out a black box. “It’s not a great apology, but after you said that you couldn’t do this anymore, I thought that you were really done. I bought these rings because I want you forever and I just felt like I had died when you said that, like I could have disappeared and no one would’ve noticed that I was gone, Keishin.” He slipped the freezing gold band onto my finger, putting the other one on his.

“You’re too good, Ittetsu.” I leaned across the smooth, gray couch and kissed him once, gently. “I’ve already lost to you.”

“Lost what?” He mumbled, pushing in for the next kiss.

“My heart.”

After having our usual bout of crazy make-up sex, we sat down and a serious conversation. We agreed that it would be safer to keep our relationship on the down low, but if it came out that we were seeing each other, we’d stick together still. We had rings on our fingers to prove our devotion, and I never considered leaving him again.

The two kids, Sugawara and Daichi, eventually pinned me down to thank me for helping them get set up. Daichi admitted that he wanted to ask out Sugawara for a long time, but only after seeing how I interacted with Takeda did he have the courage to act on it. They seemed happy to finally be together, and when Ittetsu finally got to the gym, they pulled him over and thanked him as well.

He took it better than I did, giving the two kids some advice on how _not_ to have a relationship with someone. I had to hold him back when he began to tell an embarrassing story about the time that we tried to take a bath together in his small tub and I ended up punching a hole in the tile wall and breaking my pinky finger.

Even if it was just a couple of kids, we probably wouldn’t be together if they hadn’t gotten together and spurred us on. Ittetsu just leaned into my side, and I wrapped my arm around his shoulder. Sugawara just laughed a little.

“You two look like you’re married.” He said, clutched onto his own boyfriend’s hand.

I just choked on what I was about to say and tried to play it cool. The rest of the team flooded in a while after that, but we didn’t really bother trying to keep away from each other like usual. There was an easy understanding between the two of us that we hadn’t had before. Neither of us was going anywhere, no matter what.

I rubbed my thumb against the ring and smiled.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so Ukatake and Daisuga are like my main volleyball ships bc I'm garbage but here's the first volleyball anime fic that I've written. 
> 
> Watch this spiral out into eight more fics, Jesus give me strength.


End file.
